Getting your studio up to speed has never been easier. In times gone by, when you wanted a MIDI controller, most that were available only came in large formats. These days, smaller MIDI keyboard controllers can be seen as centerpieces to the entire creative process. A 25-Key MIDI Controller may come across as inhibiting or underwhelming but in reality, modern compact MIDI Controllers pack a lot of punch and portability given their size.

They're not designed to replace a full-size keyboard, but rather to offer convenience and portability. Being able to get ideas down faster is the number one benefit of using a compact setup especially for touring musicians.

This May 2020 Update brings together the best 25 Key MIDI Controller Keyboards across all price ranges so you could find the one that fits your needs the most.

Arturia MicroLab

Street Price:

Manufacturer:

Released in 2019, the Arturia Microlab is a compact, budget-friendly 25-key MIDI controller that still features controls found on larger, more pricey offerings.

Arturia calls it "universally compatible"; meaning it can connect with anything from tablets to other class-compliant devices. Its low power consumption enables it to work even with mobile devices without external power.

Pros

Aside from its appearance, many expert reviews praise its compact size and portability. The build quality is surprisingly rugged for the price and the included software bundles get you up and running fast. Dave Gale, writing for MusicTech said, "Above all, you plug it in and just play, and the included software will also make it very appealing to anyone on a tight budget."

Cons

Controls are limited to the basics.

Overall

Despite its colorful appearance, the first entry on our list is anything but toy-like: It still enables creativity to flow into your compositions and its quirky appearance does not get in the way.

Pros

This MIDI keyboard still gets a lot of positive reviews which gives it some staying power on our top picks. Overall build quality seems to be its strongest trait, and coming in close second is the playing feel of its slim keybed, which many appreciate. Aesthetics and portability often commended. It also scored a number of high ratings with its good compatibility with various devices and software.

Cons

Not many complaints hardware wise, but there are a few who report software compatibility and setup issues in negative reviews even though this may have been addressed in more recent firmware updates.

Overall

If you're looking for a compact MIDI keyboard with a bit more functionality than others in the price range, the MiniLab MKII is worth checking out.

Pros

This MIDI controller has all the essentials for most users, which makes it a good value for its price. Many reviewers confirmed it worked seamlessly with most DAWs, such as Logic Pro, FL Studio, Garageband, and Sonar (since re-branded as Cakewalk by BandLab). Users discussed how the controls, keyboard, and pads were responsive and easy to manage when it comes to their production workflow. Even with its multiple features, it has a lightweight build that makes it portable enough to carry around.

Cons

Despite its reported durability, few people suggested the plastic build wasn't on par with the price.

Overall

Versatility at this price price point is headlined by the Nextar Impact LX25+. A jack-of-all trades for musicians, producers and songwriters.

Novation Launchkey Mini mk3

88

GEARANK

88 out of 100. Incorporating 100+ ratings and reviews.

Street Price:

$110

Manufacturer:

Ableton Live is one of the most popular DAWs used for live performance. The Novation LaunchKey Mini mk3 was designed to integrate primarily with the Ableton Live DAW for full control over sample triggering, note for note performances and on-the-fly knob tweaking.

Pros

Ableton Live users rejoice! Users of this DAW love how the Launchkey Mini mk3 directly integrates with and controls aspects of the DAW. The mk3 version is universally praised as a step up from the previous iteration. In addition to saying it worked well when tested with Logic, John Andrews said at MusicTech, "It’s a fantastic little key, rotary and pad controller that does Live brilliantly and a lot more besides."

Cons

May be too compact for some people more used to larger-spaced pads and keys. Not as comparably optimal for use with other DAWs and may need manual parameter assignment in those cases.

Overall

If your workflow revolves around Ableton Live and want a controller that fully integrates with it, the Novation Launchkey Mini mk3 is a great place to start.

Novation Impulse 25

87

GEARANK

87 out of 100. Incorporating 150+ ratings and reviews.

Street Price:

$200

Manufacturer:

The Novation Impulse 25 is very popular with Ableton users as reviewers report that it works very well with this DAW. A more upmarket offering from Novation, it builds on their product line by adding more natural-feeling keys.

Power: USB powered and includes a DC power socket for an optional power adapter.

Connectivity: USB and 5 pin din MIDI in and out sockets.

Compatibility: Mac OS X + Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP.

Dimensions: 22.4" x 15.1" x 6.29"

Weight 7.72 lbs

Pros

The Pads and the overall build quality are often cited positively in customer reviews. Users also praised the feel of the keys and mention that the feel was what attracted them to it. The full size keys were also preferred by players with with larger hands.
It also comes with an Arpeggiator which is well liked.

Cons

The most often cited negative is that the knobs are a little loose making precise positioning a bit finicky. The aforementioned Arpeggiator was noted to lack a "latch" feature that many felt was essential.

Overall

It's all about the feel for the Novation Impulse 25 as noted by several positive reviews referring to it. If you're looking for a keyboard controller at this price-point and tactile response is a priority for you, the Novation Impulse 25 is anything but an impulse purchase.

Akai Professional MPK225

89

GEARANK

89 out of 100. Incorporating 175+ ratings and reviews.

Street Price:

$249

Manufacturer:

The Akai MPK225 certainly isn't the cheapest 25 key controller out there, but it is highly regarded by people who have bought one and reviewed it.

While some small controllers are primarily intended as an input device, Akai have designed this to be a completely playable instrument and that's one of the reasons it's so highly regarded. It includes semi-weighted keys and aftertouch, Full RGB pads, 10 octave range and great software bundled to get you going.

Key features:

Keys: 25 full size semi-weighted with aftertouch.

Pads: 8 which are velocity and pressure sensitive and they light up MPC style (with full RGB).

Power: USB powered and can use an optional 6V DC, 1A, power adapter (sold separately).

Connectivity: USB and 5-pin MIDI out and MIDI in.

Compatibility: Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later + Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. It is also iOS compatible but you'll need a CCK and external power supply as well.

Dimensions: 19.25" x 11.75" x 3.63"

Weight 6.09 lbs

Pros

Being an Akai controller it also comes with a lot of MPC features including Note Repeat, Full Level, and an arpeggiator. The common aspects highly rated are the quality of the pads (not surprising given that Akai invented them) and the quality of the keys which has been Akai's weak point in the past on small controllers. The other most commonly praised feature is the overall premium build quality and robust feel.

Cons

The main downside, which was reported by a few Mac users, is that it doesn't work as well with Logic Pro X out of the box as some other controllers - it takes a bit of extra configuration to get the most out of Logic. As of this update, fewer reviews refer to this so it may have been resolved by firmware/software updates.

Overall

With it's premium build and features, the Akai Professional MPK225 will satisfy even the most finicky performer. Don't let the "Professional" tag scare you off; it's just as inviting and inspiring for beginners and hobbyists alike!

Budget 25 Key MIDI Controller

Don't let the price point of the next item fool you: it has surprised many pros and earned it's place on this list from a number of glowing reviews.

Pros

With a width of 13.18", many users noted that the SE25 is just nearly as wide as their laptops. The compact and portable size of the unit makes a great companion for touring musicians. Many who own the unit love how it fits in a backpack along with their laptops so they can write music anywhere.

Cons

The most obvious cons are its lack of features; a necessary compromise for the size and weight reduction.

Overall

If you need a controller you can whip out in a snap and set up for quick inspiration, at a price that won't feel like you spent anything at all, the Nektar SE25 is a great purchase even if you own one (or several!) more expensive controllers.

Things To Consider When Buying A 25 Key MIDI Controller

What Type Of Connectivity Do You Need? It's becoming ever more commonplace for MIDI controllers to only have USB ports on them, so if you need to directly control instruments that only have the MIDI style 5 pin DIN connector then you'll need to ensure the controller you buy has a standard 5 pin MIDI out port, otherwise you'll also have to buy a USB to MIDI converter (link to Amazon.com).

Key Size & Weight. Although some 25-key controllers have full sized keys, many don't. Most of them also don't have full weighted keys. If you're a piano player and you need these features then read the specifications carefully. If you do need something bigger then take a look at our guide to 49 Key MIDI Controller Keyboards.

Power Supply. If you need one for portable use with a laptop or tablet then you need one that takes its power from USB, however this comes at the cost of draining your device's battery more quickly. You also may have problems getting enough power from the iPad which provides only 20% of the USB 2.0 standard of 500mA - if you have a problem you'll need to get a powered USB hub.

Pads, Mod Wheels, Aftertouch If you need these features then read through the specifications carefully as some of the lower priced options don't always include these.

Best 25 Key MIDI Controller Selection Methodology

We looked at all the 25 key MIDI controller keyboards available at major online American music gear retailers and selected 24 of them to put on our short list. We then gathered feedback on each one in the form of ratings, reviews and discussions and analysed that information both with the Gearank Algorithm to produce scores out of 100 for each of them, and to provide us with the information to report on each of the highest rates ones we recommended above. Over 14,100 review and rating sources were used during this process. For more information about our methods see How Gearank Works.

I too am waiting for Arturia Minilab MK2 - people say that it has improved much and is better that many competitors for this price in mini MIDI segment.

Also, do you take negative reviews into account? Because there has been some noise around M-Audio Oxygen line quality issues - lots of reports of keys acting weird, triggering double notes, not triggering at all etc. So, I'm not sure if your current pick is safe to recommend unless M-Audio get their stuff fixed in some new M5 edition.

The Arturia MiniLab has been discontinued and replaced by the Arturia MiniLab MkII which didn't have sufficiently high enough ratings to be included in this guide at the time of publication - it is on our watch-list and we may recommend it if it scores high enough when we next update this guide.

I always use 5-pin MIDI. Don't understand why manufacturers dropped the 5-pins and make things more complicated with USB plug adapters. Happy to see here a clear overview of 5-pins keys, great help to me in buying the right hardware. Thanks a lot!

I'm glad you found that part useful. When doing the research for this gear guide I was surprised to find that a number of people had bought keyboards with only USB MIDI when they actually needed one with a classic 5-pin MIDI port.